In hopes of beginning an annual tradition, members of Saxony Lutheran High School's Beta Club went Christmas caroling Dec. 8 at the Missouri Veterans Home and the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau.

With 10 to 15 members in attendance, they set out after school to bring cheer and holiday spirit to a number of the area's veterans and elderly.

Becky Wichern, a math teacher and adviser for the school's Beta Club, said the students came up with the idea when brainstorming for service activities they could do in the area.

The club is meant to be a service organization for the school, but Wichern said it also could serve the community at large.

"I just kind of told them, 'If you guys can come up with things that Beta Club can do to serve the school or the community ...' and right off the bat, we had a canned-food drive for Thanksgiving, and that went really well, and they decided for Christmas they wanted to Christmas carol," Wichern said.

Sheet music guides the Saxony Lutheran High School Beta Club through Christmas carols Dec. 8 during a trip to the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

Junior Rachael Koehler serves as president of the Beta Club at Saxony and said the inspiration to organize a caroling day grew from a memorable past experience.

"My freshman year there was a senior who I really looked up to; her name was Danielle Childers, and she was an amazing singer. She decided to organize a group to go caroling," Koehler said. "I just remember it was very rewarding, and I think it really encouraged the people, the residents, at the nursing homes, and I think they really enjoyed it, and I really enjoyed it, personally."

About a month after deciding to plan the trip, Koehler printed out the sheet music, and the students and Wichern set out for their visit.

The group sang mostly traditional and familiar Christmas songs, including "Angels We Have Heard on High," "Deck the Halls," "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Jingle Bells."

Sophomore Jade Samanta said he enjoyed caroling because it allowed him to spread some holiday cheer.

The Saxony Lutheran High School Beta Club moves through the halls of the Missouri Veterans Home as members sing Christmas carols Dec. 8 in Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

"For me, it just gave me a sense of accomplishment. It made me feel great inside that I was making a difference," he said. "I'm not really a great singer, but I don't think that really changed my outlook on it. I enjoyed it, and I hope [the residents] enjoyed it, too."

Wichern agreed, saying it was nice to connect with the residents and visibly notice the change in their faces and attitudes when the students passed by.

"It was really a lot of fun to hear the reactions -- being different ages, some [residents] could obviously respond physically better than others, but even ones that had very limited mobility, you could see there was a change in them when they heard the music," Wichern said.

"And because it was carols they were all familiar with, they would try to sing along as best they could. That was really, really nice."

Being able to give back to the community is an important aspect of Beta Club for Koehler, who said she found the ability to sing for the elderly rewarding.

The Saxony Lutheran High School Beta Club listens to Lawrence Eeftink talk about his favorite Christmas carols during a trip to the Missouri Veterans Home to carol Dec. 8 in Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

"I just felt very happy because I know the veterans especially have given so much for our country, and I just felt really blessed that I had the opportunity to give back," she said.

Koehler said activities such as caroling, along with other service opportunities Beta Club provides, allow her and her peers to be connected more closely with the community.

"I think it's important because obviously we're members of the community, so if we want our community to be close and be one of those really special places, then obviously we have to, as the younger generation, we have to be the ones to continue it," she said.

"I feel like Cape Girardeau and Jackson and just this whole area is a very special area in that we have a lot of respect for our elderly and for other members of our community, and I want to, as much as possible for me, encourage other people to do that, and myself, to give back and really be connected to our community."

Singing the Christmas songs helped spread holiday spirit among the carolers as well as the residents.

"I hadn't done anything yet, I hadn't even decorated my house yet, so just getting to go through the Veterans Home that is already decorated and singing the carols just puts you in that frame of mind," Wichern said.

Wichern said considering the students' busy schedules, paired with the busy nature of the season, the club only was able to organize one caroling day this year.

Koehler and Samanta, along with the other Beta Club members, plan to carol again next year and hope to increase the amount of time spent visiting area nursing homes.

lyoung@semissourian.com

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